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Concentrating photovoltaic retrofit for existing parabolic trough solar collectors: Design, experiments, and levelized cost of electricity

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  • Otanicar, Todd P.
  • Wingert, Rhetta
  • Orosz, Matthew
  • McPheeters, Clay

Abstract

Photovoltaics and concentrating solar thermal power are two ways for generating electricity from sunlight, albeit through different methods. Parabolic trough style powerplants represent 3.6 GW of electricity production, but many of these plants are aging and being replaced with photovoltaics. An alternative option that could be employed to leverage the sunk capital cost associated with the primary optics would be the design of a pure photovoltaic retrofit working within the existing plant architecture. Here, a secondary optical concentrator is designed to use the existing primary optics of a parabolic trough type solar thermal powerplant. The design is a v-shaped secondary concentrator resulting in a predicted concentration ratio on a 20 mm wide target of 94. The concentrating photovoltaic receiver for retrofit of an RP-3 based parabolic trough has been constructed using multi-junction concentrator photovoltaic cells and experimentally demonstrated here for the first time. Calculated performance of the cells based on cell specifications should result in 31% efficiency at 85 °C. On-sun efficiencies were measured at an average value of 21% with operational temperatures between 55 and 120 °C. Levelized cost of electricity calculations predict the system to have the potential to be below 7¢/kWh based on predicted efficiencies and 13¢/kWh based on the measured values at cell costs of $5/cm2.

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  • Otanicar, Todd P. & Wingert, Rhetta & Orosz, Matthew & McPheeters, Clay, 2020. "Concentrating photovoltaic retrofit for existing parabolic trough solar collectors: Design, experiments, and levelized cost of electricity," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:265:y:2020:i:c:s0306261920302634
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.114751
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Otanicar, Todd & Dale, John & Orosz, Matthew & Brekke, Nick & DeJarnette, Drew & Tunkara, Ebrima & Roberts, Kenneth & Harikumar, Parameswar, 2018. "Experimental evaluation of a prototype hybrid CPV/T system utilizing a nanoparticle fluid absorber at elevated temperatures," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 1531-1539.
    2. Widyolar, Bennett & Jiang, Lun & Winston, Roland, 2018. "Spectral beam splitting in hybrid PV/T parabolic trough systems for power generation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 209(C), pages 236-250.
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    2. Bushra, Nayab, 2023. "Techno-economic feasibility assessment of a planer cassegrain solar concentrator (PCSC) based on a parametric modeling approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).
    3. Waseem Iqbal & Irfan Ullah & Seoyong Shin, 2023. "Nonimaging High Concentrating Photovoltaic System Using Trough," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-15, January.
    4. Chenyang Wang & Jialin Guo & Jingyu Li & Xiaomei Zeng & Vasiliy Pelenovich & Jun Zhang & Bing Yang & Xianbin Wang & Yu Du & Yikun Lei & Naibing Lu, 2023. "Microstructure of Surface Pollutants and Brush-Based Dry Cleaning of a Trough Concentrating Solar Power Station," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-15, April.
    5. Ziyati, Dounia & Dollet, Alain & Flamant, Gilles & Volut, Yann & Guillot, Emmanuel & Vossier, Alexis, 2021. "A multiphysics model of large-scale compact PV–CSP hybrid plants," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    6. Benjamín Chavarría-Domínguez & Susana Estefany De León-Aldaco & Nicolás Velázquez-Limón & Mario Ponce-Silva & Jesús Armando Aguilar-Jiménez & Fernando Chavarría-Domínguez, 2024. "A Review of the Modeling of Parabolic Trough Solar Collectors Coupled to Solar Receivers with Photovoltaic/Thermal Generation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-32, March.
    7. Zhu, Yizhou & Ma, Benchi & He, Baichuan & Ma, Xinyu & Jing, Dengwei, 2023. "Liquid spherical lens as an effective auxiliary optical unit for CPV/T system with remarkable hydrogen production efficiency," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 334(C).

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